Abduction
by Rivan Warrioress
Summary: 13 months have passed since Thea gave birth to her twins, and life so far has been good for Team Arrow. A phone call to Oliver in the middle of the night throws his entire world into chaos, and throws the entire team into a fight to save their family. Follows on from New Beginnings, so you might like to read that first...or not...your choice.
1. Chapter 1

Coldness seeped down Oliver's back as the last phone call he'd received replayed in his mind as he sat in the car, oblivious to everything going on around him. He could just barely feel Felicity's hand resting on his arm, but he was completely unaware of anything else, the lights of Starling City at night, the roar of the car's engine, even the concerned looks that Diggle kept sending him from where he sat in the driver's seat.

When they'd first run to the car Oliver had tried to get into the driver's seat, but Diggle had pushed him aside, taking the keys from Oliver's shaking hands. Oliver hadn't fought him, knowing on some level that he was in no fit state to be driving. Felicity had dragged him into the back seat, and there he had stayed, his body all but shutting down as he tried to process what he'd just heard.

In his mind, Oliver couldn't help but replay the words that Captain Lance had spoken over and over in his head, despite the tight feeling in his chest the words gave him.

' _Breaking and entering.'_

' _Three security guards dead, and another fighting for life.'_

' _Door smashed to pieces.'_

' _Multiple gunshots heard'_

"Oliver," Felicity's voice cut through his turbulent thoughts, and he blinked, forcing himself to look at her. He was shocked to feel moisture on his cheeks, and he belatedly realized that he'd been crying.

"It'll be okay," Felicity told him reassuringly, although she didn't sound as confident as she could. Oliver knew it was because they didn't know all of the facts. Felicity only knew the little bit that Oliver had been able to tell her as he left the Arrow Cave in a blur of movement after Captain Lance's call. Even now that they were speeding towards Starling City General hospital Oliver couldn't bring himself to say all of the details.

"We're almost there, Oliver…" Diggle said from the driver's seat, "Just a few more blocks."

"Please hurry," Oliver quietly pleaded, ignoring the looks that Felicity and Diggle exchanged, in shock at his words. Oliver wasn't known for using his manners…or pleading with anyone, except maybe Felicity, or someone he was trying to charm. It was just another indicator of how bad the situation was.

Oliver zoned back out for the next few blocks, only coming out of his daze when Diggle pulled into the curb outside Starling City General. Oliver was out of the car quickly, running towards the main entrance. Captain Lance had promised that he'd have someone there waiting for him. Privately Oliver was hoping it was Laurel or Sara, although he knew that they were having a 'sisters only' night at Laurel's house, which was at the other end of the city. Even if Captain Lance had rung his daughters just before he'd called Oliver there was no way they would have beaten him here.

Sprinting through the automatic glass doors of the hospital, Oliver lay eyes on Captain Lance himself, talking to a nurse at the main desk. He turned when Oliver ran in, and Oliver's heart sank to his stomach at the look on the older man's face.

"Mr. Queen," Lance began, walking towards Oliver.

"What's happened…what's going on?" Oliver anxiously asked. Captain Lance reached out his hand and gently touched Oliver's arm as Felicity and Diggle ran in. Oliver saw the relief on Captain Lance's face when he saw Felicity, but said nothing about it.

"You better all come with me. I only want to have to tell this story once."

Oliver let Lance lead them down a corridor and into a small waiting room. It reminded Oliver painfully of the room he, Diggle Sara, Laurel and Felicity had waited in the night that the twins had been born, over a year before.

"Earlier this evening nine individuals attacked the apartment building your sister and her boyfriend and their family live in. It looks like it was a deliberate, planned attack, as the assailants went directly to their floor, and to their apartment." Lance began to explain. Oliver heard Felicity gasp, her hands lifting to her mouth, but he didn't trust himself to speak, or to move.

"In the process of getting to their apartment the assailants killed three security guards, and seriously injured another, who is in surgery as we speak, and whose survival is in doubt. The assailants broke down the door of your sister's apartment. We don't know what exactly happened within your sister's apartment, but there were numerous gunshots reported by her neighbors in the floor below. Three of the assailants were found, dead in the apartment by the first individual on the scene, another one of the security guards. Also found were your sister and Roy Harper, both of whom were unconscious and have sustained life threatening injuries. They've been rushed to hospital and are in surgery as we speak"

Oliver's airways felt tight as he forced himself to speak, "What about the twins?"

"The assailants exited the building through the main doors, just as they'd come in. Witnesses have reported seeing two of the surviving gunmen carrying your nephews, alive and conscious, judging from the amount of noise they were both making. I've got my best teams out there looking for the gunmen, and your nephews now."

"Oliver," Felicity offered gently, putting her arms around Oliver's shoulders reassuringly, as Oliver tried to process what Lance was saying. Roy and Thea were seriously injured, and their sons had been kidnapped by persons unknown. Immediately Oliver wondered if one of his enemies had found out who he was and orchestrated the attack to either get back at him or to draw him out.

"I…I called Laurel and Sara, they're on their way. I know that you're close to them, and that they're friends with Thea and Mr. Harper." Lance offered, and Oliver nodded.

"Can you tell me anything about Thea and Roy's condition?"

Lance shook his head, "To be honest I only got here a few minutes before you did. I haven't had enough time to get some information. I'll leave you guys here; I'm sure once they know anything you'll be kept informed."

Lance nodded slightly in farewell, before he strode out of the room, pulling the door shut to give Oliver, Felicity and Diggle some privacy. The moment the lock clicked shut Oliver felt his knees go week beneath him, and he dropped to the floor.

"Whoa, Oliver,' Felicity gasped in alarm, pulled down with him by his weight, "hey, you're okay…it's okay…they'll find them…we'll find them, won't we Dig?"

"Oliver…Oliver! Come on, snap out of it," Diggle said, crouching in front of Oliver, but Oliver, now kneeling on the cold, hard floor, was barely aware of him. Instead all he could think about was the mental picture of Thea and Roy on the ground, lying in pools of blood, while masked men walked away from them, carrying Robbie and Alex in their arms as the boys cried, reaching desperately towards their parents, struggling in vain against their captors. They were helpless though, what chance would two one year olds have against their kidnappers.

Kneeling on the floor of the hospital waiting room, Oliver let everything except for Felicity's physical presence beside him fade into the background, oblivious to the time that passed. If anyone asked how long he sat on the floor, Felicity sitting beside him, Oliver wouldn't have been able to tell them. Minutes blurred together, and it could have been hours, as far as Oliver knew.

In fact, only forty minutes passed between Captain Lance leaving, and the waiting room door opening once again, admitting the Captain, as well as a middle aged Doctor carrying two clipboards.

"Mr. Queen," The doctor greeted politely, crossing the room towards them. Oliver, drawn from his turbulent thoughts by the sound of the door opening, moved silently to his feet and took the hand the doctor offered to shake with a grim nod.

"How are Thea and Roy?" he asked, his voice gravelly.

"Before you begin to worry both Thea and Roy are still alive. They were very lucky in that they received medical attention quickly. Both of them have numerous gunshot wounds and additional stab wounds. Thea was shot in her right shoulder, and twice in her abdomen. She was also stabbed by a sharp object in the side, an injury that punctured her lung. She is surgery as we speak, but the doctors operating on her are hopeful they will be able to mend the damage inflicted on her. Mr Harper…Roy, is in surgery as well. He too has multiple gunshot wounds, twice in his chest, and another in his abdomen. He has a shallow gunshot wound to his left arm, and also to his head. He was also stabbed in the abdomen, and he has multiple defensive wounds. His condition has classed as being more critical than Thea's. When he arrived at the hospital he was in cardiac arrest, and it took some time to stabilize him enough to take into surgery."

"Oh God," Beside Oliver Felicity had her hand over her mouth, and Oliver instinctively put his arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"How long will their surgeries take?"

"It will be awhile yet…the human body is a complicated thing, and the nature of their injuries…it is difficult to be precise. Even now it is not completely clear what the full extent of their injuries is. We will know more about their prognoses' once the surgeries are complete"

Oliver nodded heavily in acceptance, knowing that the Doctor was right. It would be hours before he would know anything more about Thea and Roy's conditions, and even longer before he'd be able to see them.

"Is there any word about my nephews?' Oliver asked Captain Lance, who sighed apologetically and shook his head.

"Not yet. We got a tip about the van used in the attack; it was ditched in the Glades, well away from any security cameras. Whoever it was that has abducted your nephews probably changed vehicles there, although I have a forensics team out there looking for any clues. We're about to do a press conference asking people if they've seen anything suspicious and to keep an eye out for anything strange. We're doing everything we can to track down your nephews…and the ones responsible"

Oliver nodded gravely and watched as Lance and the doctor left the room. The moment they were gone, the door safely closed once again, he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

'Oliver…what are you doing?'

"Thea and Roy are fighting for the lives, and my nephews have been kidnapped, and are possibly already dead. I can't just stay here and do nothing."

Felicity glanced at Diggle, concern etched on her features, although Oliver saw the way Diggle shook his head.

"What do you want us to do?"

"Felicity, can you do what you normally do remotely?"

"Yeah…who do you think gave Lance that tip about where the truck was? I was tracking it through the city since we got here."

Oliver attempted a proud smile at Felicity, although it was more like a grimace, "I want you to stay here and keep me posted on how Thea and Roy are going. I'll clear it with the hospital staff that you have permission to be told details. Diggle, I want you to go to ARGUS and see if you can pull a favor with them, see what they know. I'll contact Malcolm and let him know, and get Sara to call Nyssa as well. Between them they'll be able to find out who were the ones behind the attack. I'll take Laurel and go to Roy and Thea's loft and see what I can find there. After that I will get in touch with the Bratva and see if they have any information they can find. I'll call Barry and see if he can come and help too. I'm not going to let Thea and Roy's boys be taken away from them."

Diggle nodded, and strode out of the room, Oliver on his heels.

They had work to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver waited on the rooftop of Thea and Roy's building until his phone beeped with a message from Captain Lance, telling him that the loft apartment was free of police and crime scene techs. He had already sent Laurel to be with Felicity, worried about how shaken Felicity had been over the whole thing, so, alone; he slipped down and entered the loft via a window, his mask on and his hood up over his head.

"That was quick," Captain Lance observed from the middle of the main living space of the loft.

The Arrow shrugged, "Was already on my way here," he admitted, "I saw the press conference."

"The press is going to have a field day with this," Lance observed, looking around the loft with a cringe, "The Queens have been through enough hell."

"I thought you didn't like the Queen family."

"In the past I wasn't overly fond of Oliver for what he did to my girls…but nobody deserves this. I remember both of the Queen kids when they were little. Everyone could tell how much they all loved those boys…how the twins were going to be their fresh start after the Queen's Gambit and the Glades Earthquake, and Moira Queen's murder and everything else they've been dragged through."

"What have your guys determined?" The Arrow asked, keeping professional, despite how foreign it felt for him to be wearing his hood and mask and carrying his bow, in Thea and Roy's apartment, a space that Oliver had tried to keep as far away from his vigilante lifestyle as possible.

"They gained access through the door," Lance pointed, "obvious signs of a very intense struggle. Harper was found here, and three other men, all of whom were wearing balaclavas and combat gear, where here, here, and here," Lance pointed to markers on the floor, "Thea Queen was found here, blood pooling indicates that she was initially injured in the nursery and dragged herself out here, there are bloody handprints and blood trails all along the hallway. The blood is being tested to confirm who it belonged to, but at this point it looks like it was Thea Queen's blood. This looks like it was a professional job…the combat gear the guys were wearing, the high powered weapons they were carrying, the way they did it…the way they switched vans in a area of the glades with no security cameras…it looks bad. I'm glad you're with me on this one."

The Arrow could only bring himself to nod, his mouth to dry, his chest uncomfortably tight now that he was in Thea and Roy's loft…where they had been trying to build up their lives as a family.

Now it was a crime scene, the ground splattered with pools of blood, the furniture broken and overturned, the drinking glasses on the bench shattered by a stray bullet, the walls damaged by stray bullets that missed their targets.

"I'm going to have a look in the nursery," The Arrow told Lance, who nodded glumly. Oliver walked to the Nursery, remembering the number of times she'd walked into the room, either going to visit his nephews, or putting them to bed in their cots, or fetching something for Roy or Thea, except this time he stopped in the doorway to the room, taking in the damage that had spread into the room that was supposed to be safe. The walls were again marked with bullet holes, and there was a large bloodstain on the floor, soaking into the rug that Thea had bought to decorate her sons' bedroom.

The arrow turned his gaze to the empty cribs, standing side by side, with a rocking chair in-between so that someone could sit and rock one twin, while still watching the other twin in their crib. The head end of Robbie's crib was marked with a bullet hole, but the bedding was free of bloodstains. The little bear that Roy had bought for his firstborn son when he was born was sitting in the corner of the cot, and the soft blanket that Robbie slept under on the cold nights was on the ground, carelessly tossed aside, either by one of the kidnappers or one of the crime scene guys.

On the other side of the rocking chair, Alex's crib was in a similar state of disarray. To the Arrow's dismay both his blanket, and the soft toy teddy bear that Roy had bought his younger nephew, were still present in the crib…meaning that wherever he was Alex didn't have them. Robbie was a fairly laid back baby, but Alex didn't like being separated from his parents or extended family, and he was very attached to his blanket and his favorite soft toy.

Unlike his brother's bed, Alex's bedding did have blood on it, but the Arrow tried to reassure himself by noting that even for a baby it wasn't a lot of blood…just a few drops really.

Hesitantly the Arrow reached into the cot and picked up the bear and the blanket, before he turned and picked up Robbie's fallen blanket as well. He moved to drape it back over the side of the crib, but he closed his eyes, clenching his fist in the soft fabric instead, unable to let it go.

There, in the nursery of his two, infant nephews, the fine line that existed between Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow shattered, and Oliver let out the sob that he'd been holding in ever since he found out that the loft had been attacked.

Sinking to his knees Oliver pressed the bedding to his face, trying to stifle his tears, lest Lance hear them and come investigate. He inhaled, drawing in the familiar scent of the special baby soap Thea bought and of laundry soap and the nice baby smell both of his nephews seemed to have (when they hadn't dirtied their diapers).

There, in the nursery, on the floor right by the rug that was stained with blood that was quite possibly his sister's, Oliver cried at the unfairness of it all, how his one year old nephews had been dragged into the dangerous elements of the world.

Oliver was no fool. He knew that with every minute that passed the chances of finding the twins alive dwindled, and as the likelihood of finding them decreased Oliver found his ability to see the good in the world diminishing as well.

ARROW

Captain Quentin Lance looked at his watch. He needed to get back to the hospital, but there was no way he was leaving the Arrow alone at a crime scene. Who knew how much evidence he could tamper with? Lance was already doubting his decision to leave the man alone in the nursery.

Walking down the corridor Quentin frowned as he heard a muffled noise that sounded suspiciously like crying. He froze, before he quickened his stride and strode into the room, freezing when he saw the scene in front of him.

The Arrow's bow was lying on the ground, abandoned next to him, as the man himself cradled the blankets of the boy's, sobbing freely on the ground. Quentin's mind immediately began to spin with long held suspicions and new theories.

And then he realized that he hadn't even told the vigilante where the twin's nursery was.

"We'll find them, Oliver," Quentin said, forcing himself to stay calm, "We'll throw everything we've got at these scumbags."

On the ground the vigilante didn't physically react to the use of the name, only choosing to speak, his voice broken and haunted, "We shouldn't have to…I promised that I would protect them…and I've failed them…Just like I failed the city…how I failed Tommy, and my Mom, and so many other people," Oliver Queen replied.

Slowly and carefully Quentin approached the younger man, crouching down beside him and ignoring the way his knees creaked as he slowly and tentatively reached out a hand, carefully pulling the vigilante's hood off his head, before removing the mask that concealed his identity. Oliver Queen's eyes were red, and it had been a long time since he'd seen Oliver look this young and vulnerable…if ever.

"Hey…they're not dead yet. You've gotta keep fighting, for them, and Thea and Harper. Your nephews need you…both Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow. You've got to hold it together for them, ok? You have to hold it together until you find them and until Thea and Harper are back on their feet. You can break then, alright."

Steely resolve slipped onto Oliver's face as he nodded, a steadying breath all he needed to rebuild his mental walls. It was actually rather unnerving to watch the man he'd watched grow from a child transition from a vulnerable, broken shell of a person, to a confident, dangerous, trained killer."

Lance handed Oliver his mask back, "I think you'll be needing that," he offered lightly as Oliver took it with a nod of thanks.

"And…we'll discuss this after we've found your nephews, ok? You're more useful to me out on the streets at the moment than you are behind bars."

"Agreed," Oliver Queen…no, Lance corrected himself, The Green Arrow, replied, rising to his feet and draping the blankets over the ends of the cots before he walked out of the room. Lance looked around the room himself for a moment, before he left it, closing the door securely behind him.

In the living area the Green Arrow was getting ready to leave.

"I'll keep in touch. I imagine they'll be getting out of surgery fairly soon,' Lance offered. The green Arrow nodded, before he left out of the same window he'd entered through. Lance hurried to the window, looking up to watch a booted foot disappear onto the roof.

"Yeah…I'll just take the stairs," Lance reasoned to himself, sliding the window shut.


	3. Chapter 3

When Oliver walked back into the waiting room he wasn't surprised to see both Sara and Laurel already there. Diggle had called him and said that he was still dealing with ARGUS, but that he would return when he could, and he was trying to avoid thinking about what Malcolm was doing…probably causing all kinds of mayhem as he hunted for those responsible for the kidnapping of his grandsons and the attack on his daughter.

The darker part of Oliver's mind wanted to be out there with Malcolm, threatening individuals that might know what was going on, but Felicity had called him and told him to come back to the hospital…that she had news for him.

A single glance at Felicity's face told him that he'd made the right choice. Felicity was pale, and the way her eyes avoided him told him that it wasn't good news. A look at the clock told Oliver that six hours had passed since the initial phone call about the attack. In the corner of the waiting room a TV was turned on, and the news was playing, the presenter reporting about the attack. Oliver's eyes lingered on the screen as a family photo of Thea, Roy, Robbie and Alex, taken on the twin's first birthday, only a month earlier, was displayed.

"Felicity?" Oliver gently asked, careful to phrase it as a question. Felicity finally looked up at him and gave him a weak smile from where she sat, with Laurel sitting beside her and rubbing her shoulder gently, while Sara sat on Laurel's other side, looking from Oliver to Felicity, leaving the other spot next to Felicity free for Oliver.

Oliver took the not so subtle hint and sat down in the chair beside Felicity's.

"Did you find anything?" Felicity asked, and Oliver sighed and shook his head.

"I called Nyssa, she doesn't think it had anything to do with the League...but she's going to look into it. They hate Malcolm, but they wouldn't use Robbie and Alex to get to him. Not even Ra's would do that." Sara told him. Oliver nodded in acceptance. He hadn't really thought that the League would be involved either, but it was worth a shot.

"Dig is still working with ARGUS, and I've pulled some favors with my contacts within the Bratva," he told them, "They didn't know about anything, but they're going to put the feelers out. I called Barry as well. He's offered to come here to help out. He had some ends he needed to tie up, bus he said he'd be here by lunchtime."

"This is crazy…no-one knows anything. Surely we should have noticed something…there should have been chatter, or I don't now, some sort of warning that I should have detected," Felicity exclaimed angrily. Oliver pulled her into an embrace as Felicity sobbed.

"It is not your fault," he told her firmly, "none of us saw this coming, ok? Whoever did this was professional…They knew what they were doing, and they'd done their research. They've been planning this for weeks…possibly months. None of us were expecting something like this. They were supposed to be safe there. We had every security measure possible on Thea and Roy's house. It'll be ok."

"No…no it won't." Felicity sobbed shook her head, and Oliver froze. What did Felicity know that he didn't…what news had been delivered in his absence.

"Felicity…what happened?" he asked, trying to soften his voice, although he wasn't completely successful.

Felicity sniffed and straightened her glasses, "Just before Laurel got here Thea's surgeon came in. He was generally happy with how the surgery had gone. They managed to repair the injuries she had. She'll have a lengthy recovery, but he's confident she'll be able to live a relatively normal life from now on…to an extent."

"To an extent?" Oliver asked faintly.

Felicity shifted uncomfortably, "She'll be fine on a day to day basis, if she wanted to she'd be able to help out with, you know, Arrow-y stuff, if she wanted to," she rambled

"Felicity," Oliver warned, pulling back a little and giving her a pointed look. Felicity sighed and ducked her head.

"Had Thea got round to telling you she was pregnant again…Don't be annoyed if she hasn't…She would have only just found out, or she might not have known at all. It was still really early on…five or six weeks, maybe, possibly less?" Felicity kept her head lowered, avoiding looking at Oliver, although for once he was oblivious to her presence as he processed what Felicity had just told them Oliver felt his throat tighten constrictively, and heard Laurel let out a soft gasp. They'd all detected Felicity's use of the past tense.

"Was pregnant?" Oliver repeated for confirmation. Felicity nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"One of the bullets in her abdomen hit her uterus…there wasn't anything they could do. Thea lost the baby. The damage to her uterus was too bad; they had to take out the whole thing. Thea will never be able to have children again."

Silence met Felicity's comment as Oliver's heart clenched at the thought of Thea and Roy's unborn child, their life snuffed out in a heartbeat. He tightened his hold on Felicity, holding her as she rested her face against his chest, while Laurel gently rubbed her back soothingly. Sara looked sick at the very thought of what had happened to Thea.

"Do they know when she's going to wake up?" Sara asked.

"They said she was in recovery, and that someone would come and get us when she was set up in a room. I haven't heard any updates on Roy yet."

"When there's news to give they'll come and tell us," Laurel counseled calmly, "We'll be there for her when she needs us to be there for her, and Roy's strong…he survived everything else his life has thrown at him…he'll survive this."

Oliver couldn't help but nod at Laurel's confidence, while wishing he had the same optimistic outlook on the situation.


	4. Chapter 4

Oliver was silent as he was lead into a hospital room by a Nurse, having left Felicity with Laurel while Sara went out into Starling City and began searching for any sign of the twins. Felicity had offered to accompany him, but Oliver had politely declined, knowing in his heart that, no matter how much he loved Felicity, and how much he hoped that, one day, she'd become a member of his family on paper, he knew that he needed to do this on his own.

The moment he laid eyes on Thea, Oliver very much doubted his decision, wishing that Felicity was there with him. Thea was motionless on the hospital bed, save for the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the oxygen mask covering her face fogging up with each exhale. Multitudes of wires and tubes were connected to Thea, monitoring her condition and assisting her body to function normally.

Slowly and quietly, so not to accidently wake Thea up, Oliver walked across the room, taking Thea's hand in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Hey, Thea," he greeted, as if Thea could hear him, "You're going to be ok, you hear? We'll get through this, I promise. No matter what happens I'll look after you Speedy," he promised, thinking about how Roy's surgeon had come into the room not long after Felicity had told them all about Thea's pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage.

The doctor had told them that he and his team had been able to stabilize Roy, patching up the younger man's injuries as well as he could. Roy had been very lucky, with several of his gunshot wounds only narrowly avoiding major arteries and organs. As it was he had a punctured lung thanks to one of the bullets he'd been hit with, and the doctor was frankly amazed Roy had survived as long as he had. Still Roy was in a very serious condition, and had been put in the ICU of the hospital until he was doing a little better physically. The doctors had put him in an induced coma to prevent him from waking up and moving, potentially aggravating his injuries and doing further damage to himself. For the moment the doctors were planning on keeping Roy unconscious for at least a few days, if not longer.

Oliver, for his part, was just grateful that both Thea and Roy were still alive. Having seen their loft, and the amount of blood that had been spilled, he knew how lucky they'd both been.

If only finding the twins was going as well as Roy and Thea's medical treatment had been so far. Eleven hours had passed since the attack now, and Oliver was painfully aware that there hadn't been any process in the effort to find the twins, or their kidnappers. Captain Lance had been communicating what was going on, and once Thea had woken up Oliver was going to go looking himself.

A part of Oliver hated that he hadn't done more to search for the twins so far, but another part knew that he needed to stay with Thea, at least until she woke up, before he went searching for her children. Thea needed to know what was going on, and with Roy out of commission Oliver knew he was one of the only ones that Thea trusted, one of the few that could calm her down if…when she heard about what had happened.

Oliver vividly remembered how protective his mother had been of her children, and it didn't take observational skills like his to notice that Thea had inherited their mother's protective streak when it came to the twins. Oliver's main concern, however, was making sure Thea stayed where she was and didn't try and escape hospital to go and find the twins herself. Once he joined the search for his nephews Oliver would have to rely on Felicity to do this, and at the same time hope that It wouldn't be long before Roy was strong enough to be out of the ICU, so that he and Thea might share a room, and Thea would want to stay with Roy.

All that, however, was in the future. Oliver gently stroked his fingers through Thea's hair (cut short again, mainly because both of the twins were very fond of pulling at their mother's hair), before he dragged the chair from the corner of the room to Thea's bedside and sat down making himself comfortable, as he watched Thea sleep.

Oliver lost track of time, lost in his own turbulent thoughts as he sat at Thea's bedside, until a muffled groan from the bed drew him from his thoughts.

'Thea?" he asked, straightening in his chair, his hands tightening around Thea's hand that was closest to him.

"Speedy?' He tried again, feeling Thea's tighten a little in his hand.

"Ollie?" Thea groggily asked, her eyes fluttering open and looking towards him. Oliver forced himself to smile, although inwardly he couldn't help but think that Thea would see through the act. Sure enough Thea's face fell a little.

"Ollie?" she asked again…"What happened? Where's Roy?"

"He's in the ICU…do you remember what happened?"

Thea's brow furrowed in concentration…"We were attacked at home, she finally replied…"and…and we couldn't fight them off. Roy told me to get the boys and go out the fire escape but…oh god, Robbie and Alex?"

Oliver stood and rested his hand comfortingly on Thea's shoulder, but at the same time applying enough force to make sure she didn't move, while at the same time pressing the hemp button.

"Thea….we don't know where the twins are. They were taken by whoever it was that attacked your loft."

"What" Thea choked, "Ollie…can you say that again, because for a moment there…" Thea faded off when she looked in Oliver's eyes, obviously seeing the pain and sorrow there. Thea's own eyes filled with tears as she shook her head.

'No…oh please God no. Tell me this is some horrible early April fools prank, and that Diggle's babysitting them or something…please?"

"I'm so sorry, Thea. Lance and the police are looking for them, and Now that you're awake I'm going searching. Everyone's been put on the alert. Felicity is scanning security cameras for any sign of them, Sara's spoken to Nyssa, and I've called some contacts within the Bratva…Malcolm is tearing the city apart looking for them. We're doing everything we can to get them back."

"What about Roy?" Thea asked, "After they left I tried to get back to him, but I was so weak and tired, I couldn't do it."

"He's alive, they've put him in an induced coma to give him lots of rest so his body can heal. They've stopped the bleeding from where he was shot and stabbed, both internal and external, but they've got him in the ICU."

Thea nodded and moved to sit up, only stopped by the hand Oliver still had on her shoulder restraining her. Despite Oliver's presence though, she still grimaced in pain.

"There's something else," Oliver slowly began, and Thea looked at his suspiciously.

"My boyfriend is lying in the ICU, fighting for his life, and my children have been kidnapped, and are probably already dead, and if they aren't already they will be soon. How could there be more?" She said in a low, dangerous voice. Oliver sighed and took a steadying breath.

"Did you know you were pregnant?" he asked Thea carefully, not entirely sure how she would take the news he was about to deliver. Thea's face lost what little color it had.

"Oh God…yes I did. I only told Roy about it the day before yesterday…I…I lost it didn't I? I lost my baby."

"I'm so sorry Thea," Oliver nodded in confirmation, "One of the bullets hit you in the uterus. The baby wouldn't have stood a chance. The damage to your body was too much; the doctors had to remove your uterus because of how badly it had been damaged. I'm so sorry, Speedy, I wish that this hadn't happened, that none of this had happened, that you were all still safe."

Thea sobbed, one of her hands moving to cover her stomach, where, less than 24 hours before, the newest member of their family had been growing, "I'm sorry, Baby, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. You didn't deserve that," Thea's eyes turned to Oliver, "why?" she asked tearfully as a nurse rushed in, responding to the call button, "why would someone do this. Why were we attacked…why us?"

All Oliver could do was tightening his fingers around Thea's hand and ask himself the same question.


	5. Epilogue

Crouched on a rooftop, bow in hand, the Green Arrow surveyed the city stretched out below him, wondering where in the city his two nephews had been hidden away…if they were even still in the city.

Captain Lance had admitted that there was a high probability that they'd been taken out of the city, quite possibly on the very night they were taken away. The FBI agents who had been brought in to work with the SCPD on the case had agreed, reasoning that the high profile nature of the case would mean that the kidnappers would have wanted to get as far from the city as possible as quickly as possible.

The evidence had shown that the individuals that lead the attack were all highly trained, something that Oliver had already known. If they hadn't been so highly trained then Thea and Roy would have been able to fight them and the assailants would never have gotten anywhere near the twins.

Adding to the mystery, and another reason that explained why Roy and Thea, both highly competent fighters, had been overwhelmed was the fact that the SCPD officers and the FBI agents that were on the case had found a device that had been placed in the air vent above the living room of Roy and Thea's apartment. Further testing (that Oliver had asked Barry to check and confirm) had told them that the device was designed to release an odorless gas that would slow reactions and inhibit fighting ability. It had been activated via a remote an hour before the attack had taken place, meaning that Thea and Roy had both been heavily affected by the time their home had been broken into.

It remained unclear how long exactly the device had been there, but the FBI forensic team seemed confident in saying that it had been there for months. Barry had looked over the evidence, and he had agreed with the FBI's findings.

Whoever it was that had planned and carried out the attacks had certainly been planning it for a long time, and they'd bided their time, waiting until the opportune moment, although it remained unclear what was so special about the particular day the twins had been taken.

At least, on a positive note, DNA testing had proved that the blood in Alex's cot hadn't belonged to him or to Thea. The FBI had run the sample through their database, trying to match DNA, but they'd come up with no matches. The agents investigating had theorized the blood had belonged to one of the assailants that had escaped, perhaps dripping from a shallow wound as he or she had reached into the crib to get Alex. It was a relief for Oliver to know that his nephews hadn't been injured when they'd been taken, although it wasn't the most reassuring of thoughts once he considered how much time had passed since that night.

Three weeks had passed since that horrible night and still there had been no sign of the twins. A few days after the attack two bodies had been found, badly burned, in a dumpster in the Glades in clothes that strongly resembled the clothes that the twins had been wearing the night they were taken. The bodies had been of two boys, about one year old, and for a few short, very painful hours, Oliver had thought that his baby nephews were dead, but then the forensic reports had come in, confirming without a doubt that the bodies were not Robbie and Alex's, but rather a pair of twin boys who had been taken from their parent's home in Florida five months earlier, who had been dressed up in the clothes that Robbie and Alex had been wearing the night they were taken.

Oliver had personally attended the funeral of the two boys after their bodies had been released to their grieving parents. The funeral was paid for by Queen Consolidated as a sign of remorse. It was obvious that these boys had been kidnapped and killed simply because they would be good decoys for the kidnappers, and their deaths were just another two to add to the long list of deaths that Oliver felt responsible for.

There was no evidence that suggested that Robbie and Alex had been taken because of their connection to Oliver, although Oliver was convinced that it was the case. Nyssa and Sara had confirmed that no-one in the League had any part in the abduction, and Malcolm hadn't been able to find anything in quest for his information, although he refused to give up. Currently the older man was in Europe somewhere scrounging for clues. ARGUS too hadn't been able to find anything, although Lyla had been most sympathetic, sitting with Thea for hours on end as Thea stared mournfully out a window. Even Oliver's contacts within the Bratva hadn't been able to provide any new information.

At least Roy's health had improved over the last few weeks, one of the few things to be positive about. He was out of his coma, and he was in an ordinary ward, sharing with Thea as they both slowly healed physically, although Oliver knew that nothing would begin to heal the mental and emotional damage done to them until they had their sons back, or at least had some sense of closure.

Years had passed since Oliver had believed in God, or in any higher power really, but he found himself, once again, praying that Robbie and Alex were alive, and were at least being treated well, and would be returned to them soon. He'd prayed more times in the last few days than he remembered ever doing before they'd been taken, although it hadn't worked so far.

Although Oliver would never say it, especially in front of Thea and Roy, and possibly Felicity as well, he knew the chances of finding the twins alive was dwindling rapidly by the day, and Oliver suspected, from the pained look in Diggle's eyes, and the sympathetic look Captain Lance kept giving him whenever they came into contact, that he wasn't the only one fully aware of this.

At this point Oliver knew that the chances of finding the twins alive was perilously close to nil, and, with no clues, despite Felicity's best efforts, it was likely that the chance of the twins ever coming home again would continue to plummet until it was just the tiniest slither of hope.

And Oliver didn't know how much that tiny slither would be able to support Thea and Roy in the darkness their world had been plunged into since that night


End file.
